Originally Posted by
NoStressHere
I know my answer.
That is 3 trains - 1 to Penn, 1 to the Airtrain, then the Airtrain.
And of course the same on the return. With a 3 hour drive, I at least have my car waiting to head home.
By the way, we are doing the LIRR train from Penn Station after staying in a hotel near the station on our upcoming trip.
That's true. But that still may be preferable to sitting in NYC traffic. And OP is renting a car at least on the way there, so assuming the same on the return, and if so, "having a car waiting" isn't exactly true, as OP will have to transit to the rental car company, which I believe entails waiting for and taking the AirTran on both ends of the journey anyway.
One-way rentals are usually expensive, with the rental rate plus a one-way drop off fee plus mileage, depending on the fine print of the rate and the company. So it was just a suggestion for OP to consider if he/she hadn't already considered.